John of Paris (in
French ''Jean de Paris''), also called Jean Quidort and Johannes de Soardis (c. 1255 – September 22, 1306), was a French
philosopher
A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
,
theologian
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
, and
Dominican friar.
Life
John of Paris was born in Paris at an unknown date. Having obtained the degree of Master of Arts with distinction, he joined the Dominican Order, when about twenty years of age, at the Convent of St. James in his native city. There he taught philosophy and theology, and obtained the degree of Master of Theology. He was endowed with great ability, possessed great literary and linguistic attainments, and was considered one of the best theologians of the university and one of the most subtle dialecticians of the age."
[O'Daniel, Victor. "John of Paris." The Catholic Encyclopedia]
Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 5 March 2016
"In his work on the temporal and spiritual power,''De potestate regia et papali'', written during
the controversy between
Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII ( la, Bonifatius PP. VIII; born Benedetto Caetani, c. 1230 – 11 October 1303) was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 December 1294 to his death in 1303. The Caetani family was of baronial ...
and
Philip the Fair, he favours the king."
[
After John wrote a treatise contradicting the normal Church doctrine on ]transubstantiation
Transubstantiation (Latin: ''transubstantiatio''; Greek: μετουσίωσις ''metousiosis'') is, according to the teaching of the Catholic Church, "the change of the whole substance of bread into the substance of the Body of Christ and of th ...
, the faculty of the university reported his ideas to William of Baufet, Bishop of Paris, who forbade John under penalty of excommunication to defend such a doctrine, and deprived him of the offices of lecturing, preaching, and hearing confessions. John appealed to the Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...
, but died soon after in Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
, and the case was dropped.
Works
Some ten of his works on theology, physics, and metaphysics still exist in manuscript; two others, ''De Antichristo'' and ''De modo existendi corporis Christi in sacramento altaris'', appeared in print centuries after his death. A treatise, ''Contra corruptorem Sancti Thomae'', published in 1516 under the name of Aegidius Romanus (Giles of Rome), is commonly attributed to John of Paris; it was certainly not written by Aegidius. All these show vast erudition.[
More troublesome in the eyes of the Church was John's treatise on the ]Blessed Sacrament
The Blessed Sacrament, also Most Blessed Sacrament, is a devotional name to refer to the body and blood of Christ in the form of consecrated sacramental bread and wine at a celebration of the Eucharist. The term is used in the Latin Church of the ...
, in which he maintains that the Body of Christ
In Christian theology, the term Body of Christ () has two main but separate meanings: it may refer to Jesus' words over the bread at the celebration of the Jewish feast of Passover that "This is my body" in (see Last Supper), or it may refer to ...
is, or might be, present by assumption (i.e. by the body of Christ assuming the bread and wine), and that the doctrine of transubstantiation is not of faith. It must be said, however, that he advances these propositions tentatively; in the beginning of the treatise he writes that he believes in the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation and that if it is shown that transubstantiation is of faith, or should it be so defined, he will willingly retract.
The following works are among those authored by him:
*''Commentarium in IV sententiarum libros''.
*''Abbreviatio librorum naturalis philosophiae Aristotelis''.
*''(Determinatio) de modo existendi corporis Christi in sacramento altaris''.
*''De adventu Christi secundum carnem''.
*''Compendium libri Physicorum''.
*''De potestate regia et papali''.
*''De formis''.
*''Quaestio De principio individuationis''.
*''Determinatio de confessionibus fratrum''.
*Various other ''Quaestiones disputatae''.
*''Quodlibeta''.
*''Sermones ''.
*''Tractatus de Antichristo''[Anna Milne-Tavendale, "John of Paris and the Apocalypse," in ''John of Paris'', ed. Jones, pp. 119-149.]
;Translations
*''On Royal and Papal Power'', tr. JA Watt, (Toronto, 1971)
20th Century References
John's name appeared in an unexpected light in the early 20th century, when Distributist
Distributism is an economic theory asserting that the world's productive assets should be widely owned rather than concentrated.
Developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, distributism was based upon Catholic social teaching princ ...
writers such as the Catholics Hilaire Belloc
Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc (, ; 27 July 187016 July 1953) was a Franco-English writer and historian of the early twentieth century. Belloc was also an orator, poet, sailor, satirist, writer of letters, soldier, and political activist. H ...
and G. K. Chesterton attributed to him the earliest statement of the capitalist
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, priva ...
philosophy in '' De potestate regia et papali''.
References
*
External links
''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' section
*
{{Authority control
Catholic philosophers
13th-century philosophers
14th-century philosophers
French Dominicans
13th-century French Catholic theologians
13th-century Latin writers
1255 births
1306 deaths
French male writers